re: 0.4% Growth, Better Than ExpectedPosted by EthanL on 3/28/13 at 9:52 am to BugAC

You know, I was watching Hannity last night. Don't ask me how of why I got to that channel.

Anyway, he had Frank Luntz on there, and Frank was basically trying to explain to him that the Dems use 'winning rhetoric', and unless the GOP change to this style, whether, like the Dems, they mean it or not, they will suffer.

He gave two examples: one was Nancy Pelosi whining about the GOP, how bad they are, etc. The reactions were negative of course, and according to Luntz, some of the worse points ever from a focus group. Hannity chimed iin to, ripping into her.

Then Luntz played a video of Harry Reid, talking about coming together, ending the bickering, legislating bipartisanly. Hannity was beside himself saying "He's lying, he doesn't mean it!"

But what Luntz was trying to point out, was that this is winning rhetoric. Hannity was desperately trying to get Luntz to agree with him/acknowledge that Reid was a liar. But Luntz said "That's up to the GOP to prove What is important is the style and message. The GOP needs a unity message. They need to stop talking about how America is in the shitter, and rather a unity message or 'come together' message between them and the Dems

I couldn't help but think about that when I read this thread. It's like a continuos bitch fest, not unlike the party leaders, and then there is wonderment as to why the 'clueless liberals' keep stomping a mudhole in y'all every 4 years.

re: 0.4% Growth, Better Than ExpectedPosted by Jake88 on 3/28/13 at 10:19 pm to EthanL

quote:The GOP needs a unity message. They need to stop talking about how America is in the shitter, and rather a unity message or 'come together' message between them and the Dems

I couldn't help but think about that when I read this thread. It's like a continuos bitch fest, not unlike the party leaders, and then there is wonderment as to why the 'clueless liberals' keep stomping a mudhole in y'all every 4 years

The dems were bitching incessantly during the Bush years that the country was in the shitter and it began to pay dividends in 2006. So, I'm not sure Luntz is on to anything. What the GOP needs is a "cool" celebrity type. Sadly, the candidate that integrates with the pop culture best is going to be the winner.

I expected better than 0.4% economic growth. I don';t know where the media gets its expectations from, but I never heard from the mouth of Obama that our economy would grow so slowly. Why does the media seek comments from economists instead of answers from politicians as to why policies haven't worked?

re: 0.4% Growth, Better Than ExpectedPosted by RCDfan1950 on 3/30/13 at 7:06 pm to EthanL

[quote] winning rhetoric[/quote]

Winning...what! Voters, who vote to pay themselves out of a Treasury that is existentially bankrupt. Brilliant policy...ending in a hollow victory, when Bernacke has to step out from behind the curtain and admit that it's all been an illusion.

It's a damn shame, given all the resources and smart folk in this country, that it is going down this way. I hope that the historians get this calamatous 'social justice' crap on the record, so that future folk won't be taken in. This is gonna hurt.

re: 0.4% Growth, Better Than ExpectedPosted by NHTIGER on 3/30/13 at 7:54 pm to matthew25

quote:I thought the 4th Q GDP number was a negative .

The quarterly GDP number is subject to two monthly revisions in the two months following the original release number, just as the monthly jobs report is (unemployment number, however, is not subject to such revisions). Actually, revisions in quarterly GDP are often more, in either direction, than the 0.3% change we saw this month for 4th quarter GDP.

I was not making a comment, I was stating my recollection that the 4th Q was negative; thus, 2 negative Q's would put us back into recession.

This Q started badly when it was announced: Christmas sales were not up to par; the 2% SSI holiday was not renewed, higher tax of the top 1%; and the fiscal cliff held up tax rebates, thus less money on the skreets.